"It was warm when it got here" is a hard claim to answer after the fact. The product is gone, the truck is out on another route, and all you have is the driver's memory. A temperature check taken at the door, recorded with the delivery, changes that. It protects you when the product was fine, and it tells you quickly when it was not.

What to record at each cold-chain stop

  • The refrigeration unit reading at arrival. The setpoint and the reading on the unit's display when the driver opens the doors.
  • A product temperature. A probe reading from a sample of the chilled or frozen product being delivered. Note which item was checked.
  • The time. When the reading was taken, so it lines up with the delivery.
  • Who received it. The receiver's signature and name, as part of the stop's proof of delivery, with the readings on the record they sign for.
  • A photo. The thermometer display next to the product is simple evidence that is hard to dispute.
  • Any exception. A reading out of spec, a damaged package, product refused, and what was decided.

Take readings the same way every time

A reading is only as good as the method behind it. Write a short procedure and train drivers on it:

  • Use calibrated thermometers. Check them on a schedule and keep a calibration log. Replace any that fail.
  • Clean the probe between products, especially when it touches food or moves between raw and ready-to-eat items.
  • Avoid damaging product the customer will receive. A probe placed between packages or between cases gives a reading without opening anything. Take a core reading only when your procedure calls for it, on a sample you can account for.
  • Match your receiving method. If your warehouse records temperatures when product comes in, check the same way at delivery so the readings can be compared.

Know the spec before the truck leaves

Each product type needs a written temperature spec, based on the supplier's specifications, customer requirements and your food safety plan. For example, a spec might say frozen product at 0°F (-18°C) or colder and refrigerated product at 41°F (5°C) or colder. Your own specs, not this example, are what drivers should check against. Put them where drivers can see them, such as on the route paperwork or a card in the cab.

When a reading is out of spec

  1. Re-check. Take a second reading on a different case to rule out a bad probe or a single warm spot.
  2. Call dispatch or quality. The driver should not make the call alone. Have a named person reachable during delivery hours.
  3. Tell the customer what you found. Show the reading. The customer may refuse the product, and that is their call.
  4. Record the outcome on the stop. Delivered with a note, partly refused or refused, with temperature as the reason.
  5. Bring refused product back separately. On return it goes into quarantine, not back to the shelf, until someone responsible for quality decides what happens to it. Returns at the dock covers the rest of that process.
  6. Look at the truck. An out-of-spec reading is also a reason to check the refrigeration unit, the door seals and the way the load was packed before the next route.

Protect temperature between stops

A reading at the door reflects everything that happened before it. A few habits help:

  • Pre-cool the truck before loading, and load from a cold dock where you have one.
  • Load in reverse stop order, so the driver is not digging through the load with the doors open.
  • Keep doors-open time short. On a long drop, close the doors between trips with the hand truck.
  • Plan sequences with product in mind. A long route with sensitive product near the end deserves a second look at planning time.

The regulatory picture

The FDA's Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule, one of the FSMA rules, applies to shippers, loaders, carriers by motor or rail vehicle, and receivers. Among other things, it covers vehicles and equipment that can hold the temperatures food needs, temperature control during transport, training in sanitary transportation practices, and written procedures and records. It has exemptions, including one for businesses below a revenue threshold. Read FDA's page for what applies to your operation, and check state and local rules and your customers' own requirements as well.

Use the records, not just keep them

  • Disputes. When a customer reports warm product, pull the stop's readings, photo and signature before you decide on a credit.
  • Patterns. Group out-of-spec readings by truck, route, driver, time of day and product. One truck that runs warm every afternoon is a maintenance job, not a run of bad luck.
  • Supplier issues. If one product keeps reading warm from the moment it arrives at your dock, the problem may have started before it reached you. Tie readings to lot records where you can, so you can see whether it follows one supplier or one lot.

For how to keep temperature logs that stand up when someone reviews them, see cold-chain temperature logs that hold up to audits.

Where APFoodz fits

The APFoodz driver app records a signature and photos at each stop, so a photo of the thermometer reading can sit with the delivery record, and it records partial deliveries and returns at the door. Returned product can then be held in quarantine in inventory until someone decides what happens to it.